Winchester man injured in I-81 crash

By Nathan Budryk

6:21 pm Wednesday, November 16, 2016

A Winchester man was transported by helicopter to Inova Hospital in Fairfax after a two-vehicle crash on Interstate 81 near Strasburg on Tuesday, said Sgt. F.L. “Les” Tyler, a public information officer for the Virginia State Police.

“It happened around 7:30 p.m.,” Tyler said. “(It occurred on) I-81 southbound at the 294 mile marker about two miles south of the Strasburg exit.”

He said the injured driver of a 2004 Honda Pilot was Charles Lee Mason, 43, of Winchester.

“He was southbound in the right lane when he came up behind a 2004 Kenwood tractor-trailer and struck that vehicle in the rear,” Tyler said. “The Honda then went off the roadway to the left, struck a guardrail and then came back across the southbound lanes and struck a second guardrail on the right side.”

Mason was wearing his seatbelt, Tyler said, and the driver of the tractor-trailer was uninjured. There were no passengers in either vehicle.

Tyler said factors leading to the crash are still under investigation. Trooper C.D. White is investigating the crash and was assisted at the scene by Shenandoah County Fire and Rescue and Strasburg fire and rescue teams.

Tyler said the roadway was closed from the time of the crash until about 9:45 p.m.